Knockdown furniture leg attaching device



Jan. 26, 1954 P. D. BECKER 2,667,393

KNOCKDOWN FURNITURE LEG ATTACHING DEVICE Filed March 1, 1952 \NVENTOR. Pum D. BECKER AGENT.

Patented Jan. 26, 1954 KNOCKDOWN FURNITURE LEG ATTACHING DEVICE Philip D. Becker, Hingham, Mass., assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 1, 1952, Serial No. 274,385

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to tables and the like, and has particular reference to a fastener assembly for attaching a leg to a center post of a table.

In the manufacture of tables and the like, particularly of the type having a center post and a series of legs attached thereto and extending radially downwardly, it is customary to assemble the legs onto the center post prior to shipment of the table, since heretofore no satisfactory means of detachably mounting the legs has been found. Such method of shipment is expensive and adds to the final cost of the table, since the assembled legs makes an awkward structure to pack properly. Also, a certain proportion of the tables are damaged in shipment by legs being broken ofi", due to improper packing or handling. It has long been known that it would be desirable to provide some means for attaching the legs that would enable the tables to be shipped in the knocked down condition, and yet would provide a secure attachment, and would allow rapid assembly of the legs.

The object of the invention is to provide a fastening device for use in the assembly of table legs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fastener assembly whichis adapted to securely fasten a leg onto a table, in such a manner as to allow rapid assembly and disassembly of the leg.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a fastener assembly for a table or the like in which cooperating means are provided on the leg and the center post to permit the leg to be hooked and then snapped into engagement with the center post.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the component parts of a table leg fastener embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in section of a center post and a leg of a table having appropriate portions of the fastener of Fig. l assembled thereon;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the center post illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in section similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the first step in the method of assembly of the leg onto the center post;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 in which the leg is completely assembled onto the center post; and

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the assembly of Fig. 5.

Referring to the .drawing, there is illustrated a portion of a table having a center post l0 and a series of legs l2 for attachment thereto so that the legs extend radially downwardly therefrom, Each leg I2 is adapted to be secured to the center post by means of the fastener assembly of the invention, which comprises a first series of members 14 for attachment to the legs, a second series of members [6 for attachment to the center post, and a member [.8 for attachmen to the bottom of the center post.

The members It each comprise an elongated base 20 having apertures 22 disposed therethrough to receive screws for attaching the member to the end of the leg, andalso are .each provided with a hook member 24 protruding from the lower end and a spring tongue 26 protruding from the upper end, having a downwardly ex tending shoulder portion 28 and an upwardly 11 clined camming surface 30 disposed near the end thereof.

The members I6 each comprise an elongated base 32 having an aperture 34 near the upper end for receiving a screw, and a retaining portion 36 at the lower end .for extending under the center post. To provide means for receiving the hook member, .an aperture 38 is provided in the retaining portion, and to provide means for snapping engagementwith the spring tongue, the members I 6 terminate at the upper end in an edge 40 having po iti nin proiec tions 42 posed thereon in spaced relation to receive the spring tongue therebetween.

1=rior to assembly of the members I 5 onto the center post, the post may .be provided with .elons gated vertical recesses M to receive the base 32, and apertures 46 at the upper end of the slots and apertures 48 in the end of the post adjacent the recesses are provided for a purpose to appear hereinafter.

The member i8 is provided with a central body portion 56 having a central aperture 52 for receiving a screw for attaching the member It! to the bottom of the post, and a peripheral series of tongues 54 for extending upwardly therefrom into the apertures 38 in the members It when the various members are assembled.

Assembly of the members onto the post and the end of the leg may be easily accomplished by means of screws or other fastening means as illustrated in Fig. 2. After such assembly, the legs may be assembled onto the center post by first inserting the hook 24 of a leg into an aperture 3B of one of the members I6 attached to the center post (see Fig. 4) and then tilting the leg so that the camming surface 30 of the spring tongue 26 passes over the edge 40 between the projections 42, and the shoulder 28 snaps into engagement with said edge 60 (see Fig. 5). After all of said legs have been so assembled,

it will be seen that the legs tend to mutually sup- I is lifted off the floor, it is almost impossible toknock them off, either intentionally or unintentionally, when the table is standing upright in its normal position.

It will be readily seen that tables having the features of the invention may be readily shipped in the knocked-down condition, thereby saving packing costs and eliminating the possibility of leg breakage, and such tables may be easily assembled after such shipment with no special tools or skill being required.

Since certain obvious changes may be made in the device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein beinterpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A fastener assembly for use in the assembly of tables of the type having a center post and a series of legs for attachment to the center post so as to extend radially downwardly therefrom, said fastener assembly comprising a first member for assembly onto the leg, said first member having an elongated body with hook means at the lower end and a shouldered spring tongue protruding therefrom at the upper end, a second member for attachment to the center post comprising an elongated base having hook receiving means at the lower end and means at the upper end for receiving the shouldered spring tongue of the first member in snapping engagement, and a third member for assembly onto the bottom of the center post, said second member and said first member having cooperating interengaging means to resist outward forces applied to the lower end of the second member.

2. A fastener assembly for use in the assembly of tables of the type having a center post and a series of legs for attachment to the center post so as to extend radially downwardly therefrom, said fastener assembly comprising a first member for assembly onto the upper end of the leg, said first member comprising an elongated body having protruding hook means atthe lower end thereof and a protruding shouldered spring tongue on the upper end, a second member for attachment to the center post, said second member comprising an elongated base having hookreceiving means at the lower end and means at the upper end for receiving the shouldered tongue in snapping engagement, said second member having a retaining portion for extending under the supporting portion of the table, and a third member for assembly under the center post, said third member and the retaining portion of the second member having inter-engaging means for resisting outward forces applied to the lower end of the second member. u

3. A fastener assembly for use in the assembly of tables of the type having a center post and a series of legs attached to the support post so as to extend radially downwardly therefrom, said fastener assembly comprising a first series of members for attachment to the upper end of the legs, each of said first members comprising an elongated base for extending vertically on the end of the leg, and having a protruding shouldered spring tongue on the upper end and a protruding hook member on the lower end, a second. series of members for attachment to the center post, each of said second members comprising an elongated base for extending vertically on the post, and having means on the upper end thereof for receiving the shouldered spring tongue in snapping engagement, and a retaining portion extending therefrom at the lower end for extending under the center post, said retaining portion having an aperture for receiving said hook member, a third member assembled onto the bottom of the center post, said third member having means for engagement in the apertures of the retaining portions of the second members to resist outward forces applied thereto.

PHILIP D. BECKER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 522,221 Lucasherski July 3, 1894 1,800,132 Brubaker Apr. 7, 1931 2,493,624 Gerson Jan. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 589,356 Great Britain June 18, 1947 

